Leave the Phone in Your Pocket With Google 'Hands Free' Payment App

Think Android Pay is easy? How about being able to pay for items without having to pull out your wallet OR your phone? Google is making it happen.

The Web giant on Wednesday launched a new app called Hands Free, which — as its name suggests — lets you pay in stores "completely hands-free," according to Pali Bhat, Google's senior director of product management for consumer and merchant payments.

The free app is available now on iOS and Android devices, but the list of merchants that accept Hands Free payments is extremely limited. At the moment, Google is piloting the new payment system in a handful of eateries in San Francisco's South Bay area, including McDonald's and Papa Johns, and seeking feedback from those who try it out.

Here's how it works: Once you install the app and set it up, Hands Free uses Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and location services on your phone to detect when you're near a participating store. When you're ready to pay, just tell the cashier, "I'll pay with Google." The cashier will then ask for your initials, and use the photo you added to your Hands Free profile to confirm your identity.

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Google is also "in the early stages" of experimenting with a new visual identification system at select stores that will help you check out even faster, Bhat wrote. This system uses an in-store camera to "automatically confirm your identity based on your Hands Free profile picture." If this sound a little creepy, rest assured that Google says all images captured by the Hands Free camera are "deleted immediately."

"We'll continue to improve the technology behind Hands Free, and we're excited to hear your feedback," Bhat wrote. Those who try it out will get a $5 discount on their first Hands Free purchase.

About the Author

Angela has been a PCMag reporter since January 2012. Prior to joining the team, she worked as a reporter for SC Magazine, covering everything related to hackers and computer security. Angela has also written for The Northern Valley Suburbanite in New Jersey, The Dominion Post in West Virginia, and the Uniontown-Herald Standard in Pennsylvania. She ... See Full Bio

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